That is just what Lt. Col Tengesdal does every day as a U-2 pilot.  What’s so special about this you may wonder?  Lt. Col Merryl Tengesdal is a women, an African American women and she is the first ever in history to pilot the U-2, which is a reconnaissance aircraft that gathers intelligence through imagery and instantly delivers it to decision makers.

Tengesdal has seen sights only a handful of pilots have seen and many people will never experience in their lifetime.  The Lt. Col has flown to the edge of space, has seen shooting stars that sometimes skip along the earth’s atmosphere before entering. The beauty of the unique curvature of the plant earth we all live. “Flying more than 70,000 feet is really beautiful and peaceful.” Tengesdal stated to U.S. Air Force News.

But getting to do what no other African American women has ever done was no easy task.  Growing up in the Bronx she had many opportunities to starry and not reach her current heights.  Drugs and alcohol, hanging out with the wrong crowd were always a choice she could have made, however her mother and teachers kept her on the right course to pursue her purpose.

Always excelling in math and science she graduated in 1994 with a BS in electrical engineering from the University of New Haven in Connecticut.  From there Tengesdal went to Officer Candidate School in the Navy and attended flight training after becoming a commissioned engine in September 1994.

Flying for the Navy had its rewards but Lt. Col Tengesdal had always dreamed of flying higher and set her sights on a course not many have achieved, a cross commission into the Air Force.  With less than 1000 pilots, Tengesdal joined the U-2 program, where she obviously excelled and achieved her dream.

Lt. Col Merryl Tengesdal flies high, touches the sky and helps our troops from one of the most peaceful places in space.